zzzZZZzzz Night Time Routine Styles!

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So a few people on Twitter/mum's group/FB etc have asked how we went with Save Our Sleep.
We didn't.
I got the book and decided it was far too strict and that I was trying to fix something that essentially wasn't broken. Orlando was sleeping fine he just needed a feed at 3am. He was hungry, I didn't want to have him bawling his little eyes out because some book told me to. Anyway, things really started to fall into place when we started a night time routine. It's honestly one of the best things we did, we started doing it at about 3 months I think?! It's embedded in him now, he's out like a light at 1845 - 1900 and then Hamish and I have our time for WINE and TV and CHEESE and DINNER woooooo ha!

So here's our night time routine, I highly rec you do something like this early, early in the piece (if you want to of course!). I've found Orlando thrives on routine, your baby might not. Just adapt it to times that suit you/your baby! Of course solids only started at 4 months for us :)

1720 - Solids
1800 - Bath
1820 - Milk - bottle or breast, depends on if I'm exhausted/there is expressed milk in the fridge etc, etc...
1845 - 1900 - out like a LIGHT

2300 - Dream feed (yes we still do it, I know we should drop it especially according to Save Our Sleep but with the dream feed he is having 5 feeds a day + 3 solids meals).

0700 - 0730 Up!

Sometimes he wakes up at 6am and just chortles away to himself in his cot. Has little snoozes and then chats and a snooze then a squeak. I am strict about not getting him up until at least 7am. He isn't fussed and isn't crying. I don't want him getting into a routine where it's ok to wake up at 5am. 5am isn't kind to anyone.

So that's my 2c about a night routine, like I said he's to the clock with it. We've been doing this for 3 months now and love it, he loves it, we know when to time our dinner etc. PLUS we've managed to SAVE OUR SLEEP :) :) :)

Have you got a night time routine?
How does yours go?
Is a night time routine not working for you?

Wake Up Little One

Yesterday I crept into the bedroom to wake up little Orlando.

I started by taking a photo with my phone before I opened the blind.

Then I just took some snaps in succession. 

This is every single photo I took and the looks he gave me as he woke up.

xox

On The Side

Hello! 
Hello!
Just a shameless plug for the blog's FB page, yesterday there was a little Kardashian a little Monsanto.
Clearly my mind is all over the place
Follow the page here.
I'm finding it much easier to do little quips on the FB page than full blown blog posts at the moment.

Then there is the my-other-job page Chameleon Events!
Even if you aren't planning a wedding it's a fun place to be with silly polls, photos and a whole bunch of fun things.
Please follow and interact, the better a response the sooner I can make this kind of gig a full time thing!!
Like the page here.
While you're at it follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
The blog has had a few posts but I'm still trying to figure it out so bare with me!!!
I am using both Twitters and consequently sometimes tweeting from the wrong accounts hahaahaha

Shameless plug over ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

The Leaves Are Falling

Cherie over at Raising Master Max just wrote a beautiful post about having her family stay over for a few days, you can read it here.
The part of the story that got to me the most was missing her family SO much because they are so far away.

Leading up to my first Mother's Day I've got to say it's been pretty hard at times having a new born baby without my mother around.
There are days when I wish I could call her and say HELP! Come over and let me sleep or do my washing or take me out for lunch. When I want to swear and be mad or whatever I don't really feel comfortable doing that with anyone else.... 

Since Orlando was born I've had questions about what I was like as a baby and I've asked dad and he has answers but it's not the same as hearing it from mum.
I want to know how she went breastfeeding, what her advice is when Orlando is cranky, what my eczema was like as a baby...
I need to know about her cancer...
I want to see her smile when her grandson smiles back at her.

It's not fair.
At all.

Maybe I'm just having a hormonal day.....
But it's really, really, really shit that I love and miss her so much and she isn't a part of the most important time of my life. I know it's been years and years and years but the day she died is SO fresh in my mind. So fresh. 

Ahhhh it's always bad in the lead up to special days... Pull it together Merowyn!

Privacy

I was going to post this on FB the other day:

"Oh my goodness, I do NOT want to see naked photos of children I DO NOT KNOW on FB because someone I know has been tagged in them. "

It got me thinking (again) about all the tagging and hash tagging that people do.
All the hash tags on instagram #baby #babyboy #babygirl etc, etc.
When you click on a hashtag it takes you to ALL the photos that have been hash tagged with the tag.
Think about it, ANYONE can access your innocent #baby photo of your loved one in a bath with a bucket on their head.
Do you really want anyone accessing those photos?
I know it sounds like I'm clapping on like a hyper vigilant person but you've got to think about it. 
Yes, I post photos of Orlando across all platforms of social media BUT my IG is private and I screen everyone as well as I can before allowing them access, my Twitter is private, my FB is private. 
I can filter what goes on the blog, my most public arena.
And let's face it my blog is literally microscopic in the blogging world.

I've had people on Twitter and IG talk about bad people who have tried to follow them.
There are scary, disgusting people out there.

Some people might say I'm a bit of a hypocrite for posting photos of Orlando but I feel I've got control of the image I put out there.

Anyway, that's my 2c.
This post was meant to be written a LONG time ago (when I was pregnant still) but Hamish told me I was being ridiculous so I just shut my gob but I'm interested in my readers opinions on the issue...

So, what do you think?
Do you have everything on "private"?
Do you hashtag photos?